CONWAY, Ark. – A career day from Keaston Willis wasn't enough to lift the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team over the Central Arkansas Bears on Wednesday in the Southland Conference season opener, as the Cardinals came up short, 88-82.

Willis, the 6'3 freshman out of Sulpher Springs, lit up the Bears with 28 points, drilling five 3-pointers and pulling down four rebounds in the best game of his young career. Despite Willis's breakout performance, the Cardinals couldn't overcome UCA's dynamic frontcourt of Jared Chatham, Eddy Kayouloud and Hayden Koval, who combined for 61 points, 32 rebounds and five blocks. 

"The fellas came out and played hard and with purpose," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said. "That was great to see. Sixteen assists to 10 turnovers is a big step in the right direction. It's painful to lose but we got better today. Gotta give Central Arkansas credit for finding a way to win."

NOTABLES 

• Willis accounted for nearly a third of UIW's scoring output, extending his streak of consecutive games in double figures to five. 
• Sophomore guard Dwight Murray Jr. put together a phenomenal all-around performance, posting 14 points with eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals, setting new career highs in the latter three categories. 
• Freshman guard Brandon Swaby turned in his best performance of the year, recording career highs in points (16), steals (four), 3-pointers made (two) and minutes (35).
• Freshman center Marcus Larsson was effective in the paint all afternoon, scoring a career-high 12 points and grabbing five rebounds to go with two assists and two steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

The Cardinals fell behind early as the Bears started the game on an 8-0 scoring run. A pair of free throws from Dwight Murray Jr. and an acrobatic reverse layup by Marcus Larsson halved the deficit heading into the under-16 media timeout. UCA went on another 8-0 run a little more than midway through the half to take a 27-17 lead, its largest of the game. UIW roared back with a 24-6 run to take an eight-point lead heading into halftime. 

SECOND HALF

The Bears came out of the break and scored five consecutive points to pull back within three, but the Cardinals answered with a 9-3 run to extend their lead to 50-41 with 15 minutes left to play. Back-to-back 3-pointers from UCA forward Aaron Weidenaar brought the Bears within three, and a couple of free throws paired with a layup from Chatham and a jumper from Kayouloud gave UCA its first lead of the half, 55-54. 

As the half came to a close, UIW found itself trailing 69-66 with just over a minute left to play. Willis dribbled around a screen on the right wing and sank a long 3-pointer to even up the score. A made free throw and a layup restored UCA's three-point advantage with just eight seconds left to play, offering the Cardinals one final chance to level the score and send the game into overtime. Willis raced down the court and banked in a 3-pointer through heavy traffic with 3.5 seconds left, tying the game at 72 and forcing overtime. 

OVERTIME

The Bears opened with a 6-0 run, but a pair of free throws from Swaby brought the Cardinals back within four. UIW couldn't seem to stay out of foul trouble, as Larsson, Vincent Miszkiewicz and Drew Lutz all fouled out in the extra period. UCA made nine of its 11 free-throw attempts in overtime, and UIW struggled to keep pace offensively as the Cardinals fell, 88-82. 

UP NEXT

The Cardinals will stay on the road with a matchup against PAC-12 opponent Washington State at 6 p.m. (CT) Saturday, December 21, at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. 

STAY TUNED 

For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook. 

The UIW men's basketball team is on Twitter at @UIWMBB and Instagram at @uiwmensbasketball.